Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, and Mozzarella Chicken

Marinated chicken baked and topped with roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and thick slices of mozzarella cheese.

This roasted red pepper, basil, and mozzarella chicken is about to become your new favorite dish. It’s simple, elegant, and comes together in under 30 minutes.

The inspiration for this dish came from a local restaurant Squirrel and I visited a few weeks ago. They served two chicken breasts topped with roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese. It was good, but I knew I could make it better by marinating the chicken to give it a burst of flavor and adding fresh basil. Because, fresh herbs take any dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to review the AeroGarden ULTRA LED (you can read my review here). I now have fresh herbs growing at a rapid rate in the warmth of my home. Not only are the herbs growing, but they’re thriving with little effort on my part. I have a nonexistent green thumb, so growing fresh herbs in the middle of fall is quite the achievement (I just gave myself a high five).

The dill looks like a mini tree; its tall, wispy foliage is touching the top of the lamp. There is an abundance of fat basil leaves ready for the taking, and there’s enough cilantro to make all the fresh salsa you could ever dream of eating–all this growth is happening in the middle of fall.

I plucked a few basil leaves and set off to create a flavorful chicken dish that is easy enough to prepare and cook on a busy weeknight. A chicken dish that will make its way into your heart forever and ever. A recipe that you’ll save in your sacred little recipe box to pull out and use time and time again.

To give this dish an extra boost of flavor, I marinated the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. It’s a simple but powerful marinade. You can marinade the chicken for minimum of 1 hour to up to 12 hours. The chicken will become more flavorful the longer you let is soak in the marinade.

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes in a 375 degree F. oven. Remove the chicken and turn your broiler to high. Top the chicken with a generous slice of roasted red pepper that has been patted dry, 2-3 leaves of fresh basil, and 2 thick slices of mozzarella cheese. Place the chicken under the broiler and cook just long enough to allow the mozzarella to melt and brown slightly, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of the chicken; the cheese can go from melted to scorched in a matter of seconds.

The chicken bakes up moist and flavorful. Of course, there’s the toppings. The cheese melts to gooey perfection over the basil and roasted red pepper. You’ll definitely be going back for seconds.

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The Kitchen Play team will be giving away 4 AeroGarden Ultra LED units during the month of December on their Facebook page.

Print Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, and Mozzarella Chicken

Marinated chicken baked and topped with roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and thick slices of mozzarella cheese.

Yield: 4 chicken breasts

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

Chicken: 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 large slices roasted red pepper
• 12 basil leaves
• 8 thick slices mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken, turning to coat each side. Cover and refrigerated for 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F.
3. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the broiler to high. Top each chicken breast with a generous slice of roasted red pepper that has been patted dry, 3 basil leaves, and 2 slices of mozzarella.
4. Place the chicken under the broiler and cook just long enough to allow the mozzarella to melt and brown slightly, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of the chicken; the cheese can go from melted to scorched in a matter of seconds.
5. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

All images and text ©One Sweet Mess.

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Disclosure: I received a Miracle-Gro AeroGarden ULTRA LED to review via the Kitchen PLAY network. All opinions are my own.